


Practice Makes Perfect

by Felloffalot



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Kissing, Pre-Time Skip, That's it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-30 20:55:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20103475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Felloffalot/pseuds/Felloffalot
Summary: Dorothea isn’t entirely sure why the girl she likes is asking her for kissing lessons, but she isn’t going to let the opportunity pass her by.





	Practice Makes Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably really bad and extremely self-indulgent, but I spent way too long writing it not to upload it somewhere. Enjoy...?

“Hey, Dorothea…” Bernadetta said. “Can you teach me how to kiss?”

That wasn’t really the type of question Dorothea was expecting when Bernadetta asked if she could come over to Dorothea’s room to talk to her about something. Honestly, it wasn’t the type of question Dorothea would expect from Bernadetta to begin with, considering she thought Bernadetta hated her. Why else would she run and hide every time Dorothea entered the room?

And yet, Dorothea couldn’t help just how much she liked her. The girl she liked was asking her to teach her how to kiss, and Dorothea was just standing there in shock like an idiot.

“I mean, I’d understand if you didn’t want to,” Bernadetta said. “Who would want to in the first place, right? Stupid, Bernie, stupid! Just forget I asked in the first place!” Bernadetta looked about ready to turn tail and flee, but Dorothea stopped her by gently placing a hand on the top of her head.

“It’s not stupid, Bern,” Dorothea said, removing her hand. “But what brought this on?”

“Well, Ferdinand was talking about relationships and marriage and stuff, and he said it’d be hard for me to find someone if I just stayed cooped up in my room all day and didn’t get any experience, so…” Bernadetta scratched the back of her neck. “I thought it might be a good idea to ask somebody for advice.”

“You shouldn’t listen to what Ferdinand says,” Dorothea said. She made a mental note to tell Ferdinand off later. “But if that’s what you want, I’d be more than happy to help.”

“Great! Thanks so much. I’ll be in your care.” Bernadetta put on a light smirk, and Dorothea could feel her heart skip a beat.

“Just so you know, Bern, kissing isn’t really something you can teach through words alone. You need some… hands on practice, if you know what I mean.”

“Oh, I know. That’s what I was hoping for, actually. N-Not that I wanted you to kiss me, or anything!” Bernadetta waved her hands in front of her face. “I just wanted to learn as best as I could, that’s all!”

“Right.” Of course Bernadetta didn’t want to kiss her. Nobody that nice would want to kiss her. Dorothea cupped her cheek with her hand. “I hope you’re ready, then.”

Bernadetta nodded and shut her eyes, bracing for impact. Dorothea leaned in, and as she did, she considered the situation. It was wrong, really. Bernadetta had no way of knowing how Dorothea felt about her. No way of knowing how much she wanted this. She was taking advantage of Bernadetta’s naivete to get what she wanted.

Not that that stopped Dorothea from allowing their lips to meet.

It was unbearably short, and frankly, Bernie was dreadful at it. She was far too tense, standing still as a statue and not even bothering to attempt to kiss Dorothea back. Then again, she wouldn’t be asking for lessons if she was already good at it.

Dorothea hovered in front of Bernie for a few seconds, hand still cupping her cheek, before Bernadetta hesitantly opened her eyes.

“How was it?” Bernadetta said, her cheeks flushed bright red and her eyes pointed squarely at the ground.

“It was…” Dorothea said. “Not bad.” That was a lie, but Bern didn’t need to know that. “First thing’s first – you have to stop being so stiff. If your partner feels like they’re kissing a statue, it’ll bring the mood down. Push back and return the kiss. Let them know you want it just as much as they do. Oh, and remember to breathe through your nose.”

“Okay. Sorry.”

“Stop apologizing and show me what you’ve learned.” Dorothea leaned in again, and when their lips connected this time, Bernie was more – well, perhaps not _relaxed_, but definitely more ready. Bern steadied herself by lightly grabbing onto the arm that was cupping her burning red cheek, and she pushed back, just as instructed. A little rough, but she’d learn with time. Dorothea eagerly returned the gesture before pulling back, leaving them staring into each other’s half-lidded eyes.

They were only separated for a moment, however, as when Bernadetta opened her mouth to speak, Dorothea dove back in for more, and the only noise Bernie could make was a surprised yelp, muffled on Dorothea’s lips. They got into a steady rhythm – the two of them pushing against each other, one of them backing off, and immediately going back in – until Dorothea backed up for the final time.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Bernadetta absent-mindedly leaning forward, her eyes still shut, chasing the feeling of Dorothea’s lips on her own. It was _adorable_. Dorothea was half-tempted to continue, but she decided to be a better person than that and took a step back.

“See, you’re learning,” Dorothea said. She kept her voice steady, though the truth was that her heart was pounding at a mile a minute.

“Right,” Bernadetta said. Her breathing was ragged, and her entire face was red like a tomato.

“Now you should be more than ready to try the real thing. You’ve still got things to learn, but you can figure that out as you go.” Dorothea smiled, though the thought of her beloved Bern kissing anybody except her caused a slight twinge in her chest.

“Um… About that…” Bernadetta reached out and lightly grabbed one of Dorothea’s sleeves, sheepishly tilting her head towards the ground while maintaining eye contact. “Would it be alright if I came back for another lesson?” Almost immediately after the words left Bernie’s mouth, she started quickly shaking her head. “Aaaagh, I’m sorry! There’s no way you’d want to kiss somebody like me again! Forget I even asked!”

“I don’t mind,” Dorothea said. It took her a few moments to properly respond, as she had to compose herself, lest she jump Bernadetta and smother her in kisses then and there. “Come back anytime. I’ll give you a private lesson.” On instinct, Dorothea winked.

“Okay… As long as it’s alright with you. Thanks again.” Bernadetta turned to excuse herself, and as she did, Dorothea noted the smile on her lips. After she left, Dorothea laid down in bed, and futilely spent the next half an hour trying to sort out her complicated feelings on the fact that she got to kiss the girl she likes that doesn’t like her back.

And the fact that she was going to do it again.

* * *

“Hey, Dorothea,” Bernadetta said. “Do you want to sit down?”

Dorothea said she could come back anytime, and come back she did – the very next day, in fact. Dorothea invited her in and immediately went to work, planting a few short kisses on Bernadetta under the guise of “reinforcing past lessons”. She seemed to remember what she learned well enough, but Dorothea wouldn’t mind kissing her a few dozen more times to make sure. Before she could try that, however, Bernadetta pointed to the chair near Dorothea’s desk on the other side of the room and asked that question.

“What makes you say that, Bern?” Dorothea said.

“Well, I just thought it might be comfortable. You wouldn’t have to lean over to kiss me.” The height difference didn’t bother Dorothea much – there was only a few centimeters between them, after all – but Dorothea failed to see a reason to pass the offer up. She strode over, pulled out the chair, took a seat, and stretched her arms out, inviting Bernadetta into her embrace. Bernadetta gulped before complying, walking over and sitting herself down on Dorothea’s legs, their faces only inches apart.

It hadn’t quite occurred to Dorothea just how intimate the situation would be, but it was too late to back down. She placed one hand on the back of Bernadetta’s head, and the other on her waist. Bernie, for her part, put both of her hands on Dorothea’s shoulders.

“So, uh…” Bernadetta said. “What now?”

“How about you try using your hands?” Dorothea said.

“Aren’t I doing that already?”

“Well, yes, but there’s a lot more you can do than just grabbing somebody’s arms or shoulders.” Before Bernadetta could respond, Dorothea pushed in, softly pressing her lips against Bernie’s own. With one hand, she stroked Bernadetta’s back, and with the other, she entangled her fingers in Bern’s hair, lightly scratching her scalp. A sound escaped Bernie’s lips – something at the crossroads between a yelp and a moan. A light _smack _sounded out as they disconnected, and Dorothea smirked, a bit satisfied with herself.

“There,” Dorothea said. “Try mimicking what I just did.”

“Uh…” Bernadetta said. “Alright. I’ll try…” She used one of her hands to grab the back of Dorothea’s head, gently pulling her into another kiss.

Dorothea wasn’t expecting much. It was Bern’s first time doing it, after all. She attempted to stroke Dorothea’s back, but her hesitation was obvious, and she was more hovering over it with her hand rather than actually stroking it.

Dorothea also wasn’t expecting how _good _it would feel when Bernadetta’s nails scratched the back of her head.

A sensation like electricity was sent through Dorothea’s spine, and she abruptly backed away, a small _ah _escaping her lips. She had thought that an experienced romantic like herself would have no problem handling such a simple gesture, but she neglected to take into account that it wasn’t some stuffy noble gently kissing and scratching her. It was _Bern_.

“I’m sorry,” Bernie said, concern palatable on her face. “Was that no good?”

“No,” Dorothea said. “Do it again.” Dorothea leaned forward and captured Bernadetta’s lips as soon as she could, and the two got into a comfortable, steady rhythm of pushing against one another and using their hands. Dorothea would rub Bernadetta’s back, and Bern would do the same – Dorothea would scratch the back of Bernadetta’s head, and Bern would return the gesture in kind.

It felt _amazing_.

Dorothea felt like she could do their back-and-forth for hours, acting as if the only thing that mattered was Bern’s body, Bern’s touch, Bern’s warmth, Bern’s lips, _Bern_ – but eventually, she had to regain control of herself. Pulling away for the final time was agonizing, but it had to be done, addicting as kissing Bernie was. Getting to see Bern’s flushed cheeks and lips, her eyes half-lidded and her breathing ragged, made it slightly worth it.

“Wow,” Bernadetta said. “That was, um… Really good.”

“I know,” Dorothea said, feigning calmness. “You’re getting good at this. Guess I’m a better teacher than I thought.” She chuckled.

“Yeah… I’ll, um… I’ll back tomorrow, okay?”

“Please do.”

Bernadetta removed herself from the cushion that was Dorothea’s thighs and excused herself out the door. Dorothea sat there in silence for what felt like hours, mentally replaying back what had just happened dozens of times. She felt happy, certainly, but what she felt more so was guilt. She was taking advantage of Bernadetta, and while she could excuse it to herself before, they were crossing into dangerous territory now.

She resolved to herself, then and there, to put an end to it when Bernadetta next showed up. For both of their sakes.

* * *

“Hey, Dorothea,” Bernadetta said. “Can you show me a Leicesterian kiss?”

True to her word, Bernadetta showed up right on time the very next day after lectures were out. As soon as the door was firmly shut behind her, she hit Dorothea with that doozy of a question, and everything Dorothea had prepared about how they should stop their lessons was thrown out the window.

“Er…” Dorothea said, for once lost for words. “What makes you say that, Bern?”

“Well, I heard Sylvain saying he would ‘demonstrate the art of Leicesterian kissing’ to any girls willing,” Bernadetta said. “The fact that he’s not even from Leicester aside, that made me kinda curious. I know it involves tongue, but not much else.”

Dorothea had to choose her next words very carefully, regardless of how much the uncomfortable silence made her want to blurt something out. Much as her desire told her _yes, go for it_, her reason’s overpowering screaming of _no, this is wrong _won out.

“Well, Bern,” Dorothea said. “A kiss like that is something you should only do with somebody you really love. On that note, maybe it’s time we bring an end to our lessons. You’re more than ready at this point.” She put on a fake smile and waited for inevitable _yeah, you’re right_ response.

“Um…” Bernadetta said. “About that, Dorothea… I, uh… I lied.”

“What?”

“The truth is that I didn’t just want to kiss you to practice.” Bernadetta’s face was distorted into a frown, one of born of sorrow rather than the usual anxiety, and her eyes were rather obviously welling up. “I wanted to kiss you because… I love you.”

Dorothea was far too stunned to act nor reply. She wanted to say something, but she was choked up by emotion. Bern loved her? Loved her in the way that Dorothea loved _her_? It was hardly believable, and Dorothea wondered if she had ever woken up from last night’s dream.

“I’m really sorry,” Bernie said. At this point, she was outright sobbing. “I knew there was no way you could like somebody like me, so I tricked you.” She sniffed. “I knew it was wrong, but I did it anyway. You're just so pretty and smart and strong and, and...” She gasped, clearly a bit short of breath. “I know you must hate me now, so I’ll-“

Before Bernie could say another word, Dorothea rushed forward, grabbed her arm, and pulled her into a kiss.

Frankly, it wasn’t a very good kiss. It was hard and rough, unlike their other kisses that were slow and soft. There was a slight taste of salt from the tears that had been going down Bernadetta’s face. Dorothea could taste it pretty well when she opened her mouth to lick at Bernie’s lips, effectively asking for entry into Bernie’s mouth. It took Bernadetta a few moments to get the message, but when she does, she quickly grants Dorothea’s request.

As tempting as it was to immediately stick her tongue down Bernie’s throat, Dorothea kept it to poking – prodding. She ran her tongue over Bernie’s teeth, her gums, even her tongue, and Bernie hesitantly poked back. When Dorothea backed away, there was a thin trail of saliva still connecting their lips.

“If I hated you, could I have done _that_?” Dorothea said.

“Dorothea-“ Bernadetta began to speak, but before she could say anything, Dorothea suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace.

“God,” Dorothea said. “I spent all this time worrying about what would happen if I told you. About how our friendship is done for sure if I ever let you know how I feel. Turns out we’re both a couple of fools.” Dorothea lightly ran her fingers through Bernadetta’s hair.

“You…” Bernadetta said. “You mean…?” She looked up at Dorothea, a hopeful expression on her face.

“Yeah.” Dorothea smiled. “I love you too.”

Dorothea leaned down, and she gave Bernadetta a kiss. It wasn’t particularly good, but that was alright. They had all the time in the world to practice now.

**Author's Note:**

> I knew I had to write some Bernie/Dorothea after their C-Support (I mean, Bern talks about how pretty and awesome Dorothea is and Dorothea assumes she's talking about something she has a crush on. C'mon) and it evolved (or perhaps devolved) into this. In hindsight, I shouldn't have switched between all three versions of Bernie's name so much, but whatever. I'll keep that in mind for next time.


End file.
